Clarissa Simpson
Clarissa Elizabeth Simpson is a student at Lakewood Middle School. She is the most popular girl in the school and is the leader of her clique, the Popular Sensations. Appearance Clarissa has a similar appearance to Leah, as they both have long blonde hair and blue eyes. Like Leah, Clarissa likes to dress in the latest fashions. She is seen usually wearing a skirt or a dress. Personality Clarissa may be admired in school, but not for her attitude. She is very mean-spirited and manipulative, and she targets people who she considers "beneath her". She is an attention-seeker who starts conflicts with other students to provoke them and watch them suffer. Her insults range from annoying to downright cruel. The only people that are spared from her insults are her friends and her love interests. Clarissa manipulates almost everyone that she comes across. At times, she pretends to be friends with students that are not a part of her clique, but she usually uses them to get something (or someone) she wants. Her friends, who are as bratty as she is, do whatever she says. Clarissa also says convincing things to other students to shatter their confidence. Clarissa is a spoiled brat. Not only is she pampered at school, she is also pampered by her equally spoiled parents. At times, she is forced to do what her father says, but most of the time, she gets whatever she wants, when she wants it. Whenever she doesn't get what she wants, she usually targets someone. She is the typical spoiled little rich girl. Notable Moments Clarissa is first introduced in First Experiences. ''Although she is a new sixth grader, she quickly establishes herself as one of the most popular girls in school. On the first day of school, Alex Sanders confronts her when she sees her friend Marylin sitting at Clarissa's lunch table, but Clarissa taunts Alex about it. Clarissa's nasty side is revealed later in the story when Alex crashes Marylin's sleepover, where Clarissa is one of the guests. She and her friends make fun of Alex's clothes, attitude, and activities. When Alex finally retaliates back, Clarissa demands that she leaves, which she does. Later, it is revealed that Clarissa has a boyfriend, Blake Spinelli. In ''Best Friend or Boyfriend?, ''Blake breaks up with Clarissa and begins to pursue Gail Edwards. Angry and jealous, Clarissa decides to flirt with her Spanish classmate, Freddy, to make Blake jealous. However, she becomes angry when Jessie Sanchez calls her out. When Jessie pours food on her, Clarissa threatens to ruin Jessie's life. She later has her friend Lindsay Shapiro trip Jessie and cause her to sprain her leg. In ''Revenge, ''Clarissa is the target of many pranks pulled by Alex due to her bitterness about losing Marylin to the Popular Sensations. At the annual Autumn Dance, Alex pours slime all over her, Marylin, and Gabby. Clarissa and her friends chase Alex, and all four girls end up in the principal's office. Principal Watson allows Clarissa and her friends to stay at the dance, but sends Alex home. In ''Leah and the Popular Sensations, ''Clarissa reveals to Leah Harrison that she believes Gail is a slut who stole Blake away from her; despite not being completely over Blake, she begins dating a high school student named Michael. She tries to befriend Leah, but Leah, who is best friends with Gail, does not accept her friendship. In ''Enemies and Frenemies, ''she again finds herself the target of Alex's schemes when she is forced to attend a charity event with her parents. Clarissa does not have a huge role in the seventh grade year, but her attitude does not improve. In ''The Dance Committee, ''she helps the student council come up with ideas for the Autumn Dance, but ends up taking over everything when her theme is picked. She is put in her place when students in the council tell her off. In ''Read All About It, ''it is revealed that Clarissa is a good writer, much to her peers' surprise, and she shows off her talents when she joins the newspaper club's writing program. Unfortunately, she doesn't utilize these talents very well, as she spends most of her time in a rivalry with Leah over the affection of an eighth grader and trying to pass off a gossip column to the school newspaper, which is rejected by the editors; as a result, she is not chosen to be part of the newspaper club full-time for next year. In eighth grade, Clarissa is involved in a love triangle between herself, Leah, and William Frost. In ''Cheerleaders, she becomes jealous when her ex-boyfriend William starts flirting with Leah, who had recently become a cheerleader. At one point, she and her friends spy on one of their dates. Eventually, William cheats on Leah with Clarissa and they get back together. Relationships 'Alex Sanders ' Clarissa and Alex cannot stand each other. Enemies since kindergarten, these girls can't even breathe in the same room together without conflict. Clarissa is repulsed by Alex's tomboyish attitude, and Alex is repulsed by Clarissa's snottiness; as a result, they both come into conflict. Clarissa usually instigates the conflicts on purpose just to see Alex crumble. Nothing about Alex's life is spared without an insult from Clarissa, including her appearance, her family, and her life in general. Throughout middle school, it seems like it is Clarissa's mission to make Alex's adolescent life miserable. 'Leah Harrison ' Leah and Clarissa are not on good terms. Before sixth grade, Clarissa and Leah didn't talk much, but in sixth grade, Clarissa tried to get Leah to join the Popular Sensations. When Leah decided not to join, their relationship turned sour. In seventh grade, Clarissa targeted Leah when she thought that Leah had a crush on one of her love interests. In eighth grade, Clarissa stole Leah's crush. It is possible that Clarissa wanted to be Leah's friend, but was rejected once Leah saw past Clarissa's exterior. 'Marylin Roberts ' Clarissa and Marylin are best friends. They became close during the summer before sixth grade, where they were in the same Vacation Bible School group. During school, Marylin, who was not an original member of the Popular Sensations, is accepted by Clarissa and her friends. As Clarissa's second-in-command, Marylin accompanies Clarissa in tormenting other students and acting shallow. Though both girls seem to be very two-faced, they still have each other's back. 'Gail Edwards ' Clarissa dislikes Gail. It would seem like Gail would fit in with Clarissa's clique, as she is pretty and fashionable. However, Clarissa and Gail are not on good terms because Clarissa's boyfriend Blake broke up with her to be with Gail. During the early books, Clarissa showed disdain about the situation and called Gail a "slut", claiming that Gail deliberately stole Blake from her. However, as the series goes on, Clarissa moves on and stops tormenting Gail. She doesn't target Gail as much as she does the rest of the main characters. Trivia *The author named the main antagonist "Clarissa Simpson" because it sounded like the perfect "alpha bitch" name. Her first name came from the titular character of the Nickelodeon series "Clarissa Explains it All" and her last name came from the celebrity Jessica Simpson. *The character was inspired by the "Lizzie McGuire" antagonist Kate Sanders. Category:Lakewood Students Category:Popular Sensations Category:Characters